


First Times for Everything

by lin_the_bae_fong



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Beaujester Week 2019, Day 7: Family & Missing Scene, F/F, Implied Sexual Content, Non-Explicit Sexual Content, Resurrection, Temporary Character Death, mild depictions of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 07:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20060521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lin_the_bae_fong/pseuds/lin_the_bae_fong
Summary: A series of snapshots showing many of Jester and Beau's "Firsts", together.





	First Times for Everything

**Author's Note:**

> I promise you this; someone in another time will remember us. -Sappho

The first time Beau and Jester kiss, it’s a small and hesitant thing in their room under the darkness of Rosohna. They have just returned to the XhorHaus after an arduous day of travel, and Beau’s muscles are stiff and sore from the ride on the moorebounders. It’s hard to tell from surroundings how late it is considering Rosohna’s continuous darkness, but The Nein can feel in their bones that it is definitely past bedtime. So everyone makes their way to their respective rooms. Jester and Beau lean on each other as they take the steps up the towers and only split away when they’re in their room and dressing down for the evening. 

Beau groans as she sheds her vestiges until she’s down to her breast wraps and briefs, and stretches her back with a resonating pop. She peeks over her shoulder to see if Jester’s in the same state of undress and isn’t surprised to see her doing a stretch of her own in a white slip. There’s a stain of blood just below the clavicle, where she’d been hit with a bandit’s arrow earlier that morning. Beau looked down at her own body, where there was an array of purple and blue, injuries that would heal on their own in a day or two. The major wounds she’d sustained during the bandit attack, namely an arrow graze that was a little to deep in her neck for comfort, were healed by Jester and Caduceus.

Beau realizes she’s staring and glances up to see if she’s been caught, and by the way her eyes catch on Jester’s makes her think the answer is  _ yes _ . 

“Uh, sorry. Lost in thought,” Beau walks to where a few candles are lit on a side table, “are you ready for bed, or do you wanna stay up and talk to the traveler for a bit?”

Jester is still staring back at her, and Beau can’t quite read her expression before, 

“Can I sleep with you? In your bed I mean.” Jester clarifies with a light blush to her cheeks.  _ She’s going to be the death of me _ , Beau thinks. 

“It was kinda a rough day, huh? Sure, Jess, I don’t mind.” Jester is in Beau’s bed before she can even finish blowing the candles out and Beau chuckles under her breath. 

Beau makes her way to the bed as best she can in the darkness, only stubbing her toe once, before climbing in behind the cool-skinned tiefling. Beau wraps an arm around Jester’s waist and pulls flush with Beau’s front. 

They lay like that for a bit, listening to the others slow breaths and feeling the rise and fall of their chests. Then, Jester weaves her fingers with Beau’s where they rest against her stomach, and Beau feels herself swallow nervously at the intimacy.

Suddenly, Jester is pulling Beau’s hand off of her body entirely and moving it higher, past the swell of her chest and...presses the back of Beau’s warm hand to her slightly chapped lips. 

Beau’s heart stutters in her chest because this,  _ this _ , is not something “friends” do and for the past few weeks they’ve been in a precarious dance of friendship and something  _ more _ . Jester is turning around in her arms, and it’s a little clumsy but she could be the clumsiest woman in the world and Beau wouldn’t love her any less. Jester’s face is inches from Beau’s own, their breath intermingling in the space between them. 

“Jessie,” Beau’s heart bobs in her throat, “ You alright?”

“Couldn’t be better, Beau.” Jester replies, and Beau tries to search her face in the darkness for any hint of a lie or sadness, but instead she finds nothing but adoration and honesty. And… something that Beau’s not sure she’s ever truly been on the receiving end of before. 

“Y-yeah?”

“Mhmm.” Jester presses her forehead against Beau’s, and Beau is hyper-aware of the distance between their lips. “Beau?”

“Hm?” Beau replies, maybe just a little high-pitched.

“It’s ok. You can kiss me, if you want to.”

Beau spends just a moment searching Jess’s eyes, looking for any sign of hesitation or doubt, but there isn’t any. Just that same look of peace and contentedness. Beau’s eyes flicker back to Jester’s lips.  _ If you want to… _

Is it even a question? No. Beau crosses that small gap between them, and like it’s her first kiss all over again, presses her lips to Jesters. It’s short, and maybe a little hesitant on Beau’s end, but Jester picks up the lead and kisses back just a bit harder. Then they’re both pulling away and letting the foreheads rest together once more. 

Beau feels tears prick at the corner of her eyes, and she’s not really sure why this one, small kiss feels infinitely more important than anything she’s ever done.

Or maybe she does, and she’s scared of the answer. Jester pulls Beau’s head to her chest and kisses her forehead, and Beau feels her eyelids drooping.

“Goodnight, Beau.” 

“Sweet dreams, Jessie.”

X-x-X

The first time Jester and Beau say “I love you”, they’re not on some daring adventure or in some dramatic battle. No, in fact their in some unremarkable tavern in an unremarkable town for no reason other than they needed a place to stay for the evening. There’s a bard playing a Viol in the corner of the common room, and Jester has to admit their very good. She’ll have to remember to give them a nice tip later. 

The tavern doesn’t have much variety in the way of food, but Jester doesn’t mind too much and eats her fill either way. She lets Beau pick off her plate from where she’s leaning into Jester’s side, even though their food really isn’t that much different. Once both plates are empty, Beau reaches under the table to hold Jester’s hand and gives it three gentle squeezes. It’d become a sort of code for them, a way of saying “I’m here”. Jester looks away from where Fjord and Nott are relentlessly teasing each other with poor Yasha caught in the middle, to Beau.

Beau is giving her the dopiest smile she’s ever seen, and if Jester didn’t know Beau was trying to cut back, she’d think she was drunk. Jester squints and gives a little, suspicious but amused.

“What.”

“I love you, you know?” Beau says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Jester beams from ear to ear and nuzzles into Beau’s shoulder to hide the heat warming her cheeks. 

“I love you, too.” Jester replies, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Beau presses her cheek to the Jester’s head, mindful of her horns. The Viol player starts a slow song, and Jester closes her eyes and feels herself melt into her love’s arms. Beau left her head.

“You wanna go dance for a bit?” She asks Jester, and Jester doesn’t have to be asked twice before she jumps out of her seat and drags Beau to an empty space wide enough for them. Beau wraps one hand around the back of Beau’s neck, and the other clasps Beau’s hand off to the side. Beau’s other hand is politely on her waist. Jester giggles a bit, and uses her tail to shift the hands just a bit lower until it’s at her hips. 

The Violist seems to play just a bit more passionately as they gracefully step into a loose waltz. Jester patiently waits for Beau to inevitably step on her toes but is mildly surprised when it never happens. 

“You know how to dance.” Jester says. Less of a question and more of an observation. 

“I was raised in just a noble of a household as you, Jess.” Beau replies, and Jester laughs because  _ oh yeah, that makes sense.  _ After a few minutes, their waltz dies down to a gentle swaying, both of Jester arms resting on Beau’s shoulders, and both of Beau’s hands on Jester’s hips. Their bodies are flush, and as Jester looks up she sees Beau give a wink to someone off to the side. Jester side glances to where it was directed and sees Caleb give a thumbs up and a gentle smiles. Jester laughs softly under her breath.

“You had Caleb pay off the bard, huh?” She asks, amused. 

“Maybe.”

“That’s very romantic, Beau.” Jester snuggles a little closer and lays her head on Beau’s chest, “I love you.”

“Love you, too, Jess.” Beau presses a soft kiss to the top of her head. 

X-x-X

Out of Jester and Beau, Jester is the first to watch the other die. 

They’d been asked by the Bright Queen to investigate a cave further south in Xhorhas that had reportedly been “too much” for her scouts, as none of them had returned. That should’ve been the first red flag, really, if Jester thinks about it. Now, deep underground, Jester thinks maybe they should stop fighting underground, maybe. A zombie...skeleton, wizard guy just popped out of a crypt and immediately raised the Bright Queen’s three missing scouts into zombies. 

Jester gives a quick glance over the party, trying to see if any of them are as scared as she is. Nott is nowhere to be seen. Caleb looks uneasy, but determined. Fjord is definitely scared, but he gets scared if you sneeze when he isn’t expecting it. Caduceus is smiling.

Yasha is in a furious rage, but Jester can see the almost imperceptible tremor in her hands, the haunted look in her eyes as she no doubt recognizes the situation their in, and Jester’s heart aches for her. 

Jester turns to check on Beau, only to find her gone. There’s a familiar crack of thunder in the direction the zombie wizard is, and Jester feels her heart plummet into her stomach. There stands Beau, arm extended and residual sparks of electricity dancing across her body. Lightning is crackling along the zombie wizard’s dried, rotting skin, but he seems unthreatened by it. The remaining skin around his mouth pulls into a taut, twisted smile as he aims his hand towards Beau. 

There’s a moment where nothing happens, she can see the rest of the Nein focused on the zombies he raised, but suddenly there’s a pained gasp from Beau and she’s doubled over. Sickly darkness spreads through Beau’s veins under the skin, and blood is dripping from lips. Her skin looks dry and palid suddenly, Jester notices as she rushes forward to help her, but Beau takes a deep breath and returns to her normal fighting form. 

A subtle  _ whoosh _ rushes past Jester’s head, and she watches as the zombie wizard’s arms seem to almost bow inward, and his knees buckle as though gravity has increased. 

“He is a lich! Stay away from him!” Caleb calls from behind them. Jester looks to Beau and sees that conflicted look, the one that says “What choice do I have, though?”, and Jester  _ hates _ it. Jester looks to the Lich and summons glowing energy in her hand, then shoots the immense guiding bolt straight toward his face. It hits with a burst of radiant light and Jester can’t help feeling a little smug, especially when Yasha runs behind him and carves the Magician’s Judge deep into his soldier. 

The Lich hisses in pain as Yasha tears her sword away, and black ethereal tendrils seem to seep from the wound before shooting out in three different directions like spears. Jester feels one pierce into her chest, and feels sickly, necrotic energy pulse through her body with a wave of nausea, but she steels herself. Jester sees matching tendrils piercing Beau and Yasha, too, and while Yasha seems nonplussed, Beau is looking much worse for wear then she was a moment ago. Strangely, a fourth tendril seems to be embedded in nothing, until suddenly Beau’s fists are glowing with the holy green energy of the Wildmother, and Caduceus pops into existence beside her. Behind her, she hears Caleb mumbling about licorice, and suddenly Beau seems to almost vibrate in place. 

Beau growls under her breath and charges the Lich with a preternatural speed. Her fists, glowing with the power of Caduceus holy weapon, pound into its undead form one, two, four,  _ six times,  _ and Jester covers her ears as the Lich howls in pain. It’s starting to crumple in on itself, and Beau grins at her own work. The Lich howls in anger this time, as a bolt buries itself in his side, and suddenly he’s pointing a finger at Beau, seeming to see her as the biggest threat right now, and she lets out the most pained yell Jester has ever heard. 

Blood is dripping from Beau’s nose, her ears, her  _ eyes _ , and Beau falls to a knee and wavers. Fjord is there behind her now, and his hands glow with that same energy of the Wildmother as he lays his hands upon Beau’s shaking shoulders, only slightly easing her pain. Caleb casts another one of his gravity spells on the Lich, and the Lich retaliates with a ray of cold energy. 

Caduceus pumps another healing spell through Beau’s shoulder, and Jester watches as the monk shakily rises to her feat. Fjord seems to hesitate a moment before he, too, presses a healing spell to Beau’s back. The Lich releases another ray of cold energy in the direction of Nott, but misses entirely. Yasha is carving into him once more, and Jester joins by bashing him in the head with her holy lollipop. The lich tries to direct that freezing cold ray at her this time, but Jester gives a feral roar and directs the ice back at him in spears. 

Beau is beating into his side again; one, two, four, six hits of holy energy and for a moment, they think they’ve won, as the Lich collapses to his knees. 

Then, his head lifts with the creak and crack of old bones, and stares directly into Beau’s eyes, and with the haunting voice of a thing long dead, speaks;

“ ** _C e a s e_ ** .” 

Jester can feel an immense power behind those words, something evil, and her attention turns to Beau as she watches her love stumble. 

Then Beau is on face down on the ground, eyes open and unseeing. Not breathing.  _ Dead. _ There’s an earth shattering scream of rage as the Magician’s Judge cleaves the Lich’s head from his shoulders. Caleb is pushing past where Jester has frozen, and she watches as he slaps his hand to his mouth and sobs at the sight of his empire sister unmoving on the ground. 

Suddenly, Jester realizes that this pain in her chest is far worse than any physical wound she’s ever experienced.

Suddenly, she understands Yasha’s rage.

Suddenly, rage and cold is all she can feel, as she watches Caduceus turn Beau’s body over and places a diamond on her chest. 

A hand latches onto Jester’s shoulder, and all that rage turns to them-

There’s a pained grunt, familiar, and Jester’s anger immediately washes away with guilt as she sees the shards of ice sticking from her friends arms and torso. They melt almost immediately, the wounds leaking blood tinged water.

“Oh, Yasha,” Jester’s voice breaks as she reaches a shaking hand out hesitantly, “I’m so sor-”

Yasha doesn’t give her the chance to finish the apology. The barbarian drops her blade to the ground with a loud clatter and pulls Jester into a swaddling hug. They sink to the ground, silent tears streaming their cheeks as they listen to Caduceus quietly pray over the prismatic shards of diamond. 

“Wildmother, I know that young Beauregard is not one of your loyal disciples, but she is still one of the most loving, loyal,  _ good _ people I know. If you wish to aid me in returning our friend home, I would be very grateful.”

Caduceus pauses for a moment, before sitting back on his heels and speaking once more;

“Ioun, All-Knowing Mistress, we have lost one of your most diligent, and honorable knowledge seekers on the material plane, even if perhaps she may not realize it. She’s perhaps not the most diligent of your followers in regards to morning prayers, but her heart and mind are invaluable to this plane, and to us. If you wish to aid me in returning her to us, I would be very grateful.” 

As Caduceus finishes speaking, there’s a moment of terse silence, and then there is a soft cobalt glow coming from a symbol on Beau’s head, one Jester recognizes well. 

At the center of Beau’s forehead, is the symbol of Ioun, the All-Knowing Mistress. The holy, green glow of the Wildmother wraps around Beau’s body like growing vines, sinking into her chest. Then, the glowing magics of Melora and Ioun fade away, and Beau’s eyes shoot open and she gives a deep, stuttering inhale, followed by a wheezing cough. 

Jester rushes forward and grasps onto Beau like a lifeline, and if Beau grasps back twice as hard, no one is the wiser. Or perhaps they just know better than to say anything.

X-x-X

The first time Beau and Jester make love is the same night that Beau experiences her first Revival. It’s a desperate, passionate, life-affirming thing. It’s Beau begging Jester’s forgiveness through lips and tongue and fingers. It’s Jester demanding Beau to never abandon her again through soft moans and pulled hair and infernal hisses. 

It’s tearful, intense kisses, because the throb of their lips in time with their heart beats means they are  _ alive _ and  _ safe _ . 

It means they have each other, and fuck death for thinking it could keep them apart, even for a minute. 

X-x-X

The first time Beau truly, wholeheartedly fears Marion Lavorre is when she’s fiddling with a handmade silver ring in her pocket outside the Courtesan’s door. Her palms are sweating like fucking crazy, but she’s already hyped herself up, and she refuses to back down now.

Beau raises a shaking fist to the door and gives it three light taps with her knuckles, then waits patiently. She can hear movement on the other side of the door, and takes a deep, calming breath. She clasps the symbol of Ioun around her neck and sends a silent prayer.  _ Ioun, preserve me. _

The door opens and Beauregard snaps to attention.

“Ah, Beauregard. Did you need something, dear?” Marion asks with an easy smile.

“I uh. I was um. Wondering if I could talk to you. About some stuff. If you’re free, I mean-”

“Shhh…,” Marion opens the door further, “Come in, sweetheart, before you give yourself an anxiety attack.”

Beau nods sharply and steps inside, and Marion closes the door behind them. Marion weaves her arm through Beau’s and guides her to sit at a lush, red loveseat beside the fire.

“Tell me, Dear Beauregard, what troubles you?” Beau can’t help but laugh a little and shakes her head. 

“No, no, nothing currently. Kinda the opposite actually.” Beau says as she rubs the back of her head. It was freshly shaved, and the sensation was comforting. Marion is giving her that damned smirk, the one Jester gets when she’s onto something. 

“Oh?”

“I um. I’m gonna ask Jester to marry me.”

Marion purses her lips a bit and squints, and Beau feels her heart rate triple instantly. 

“I would certainly hope you are not doing that “asking the parent for permission” shit. My Jester is her own person.” Marion says and crosses her arms. Beau’s face twists, and she almost feels a little offended. 

“Of course not. I came to ask if you think she’ll like this.” Beau pulls the silver engagement ring from her pocket and presents it to Marion. The older woman’s face lights up with glee as she takes the ring and examines it closely. 

“This is beautiful, Beauregard, she’ll absolutely love it. The braid of the metal is incredibly smooth, and I love the set jade and sapphire. I may have to ask for the name of the jeweler you purchased this from. I’m a little jealous.” Marion admonishes before handing the ring back to Beau. 

“It’s me.”

“Hm?”

“I’m the jeweler. I made this.” Beau admits. At one point in time, years ago when she had first met the Mighty Nein, she would have been embarrassed to confess such a thing. Now, her chest swelled with pride that The Ruby of the Sea was staring at her in surprised awe. 

“My word, Beauregard. That is an incredible talent you have.” 

“Well, to be fair, it took me about 9 tries and probably about 12,000 gold in materials.” Beau says with a sheepish grin and returns the ring to her pocket. Marion laughs warmly and Beau briefly wonders if this is what having a loving mother feels like. She looks away and quickly tries to swallow the bittersweetness that thought strikes within her. 

Marion’s hands are cupping her face though, and guiding Beau’s gaze to meet her own. 

“Where did you go, Beauregard?” She asks, and Beau melts into the warmth of the contact. 

“I…,” Beau thinks about lying, but decides better of it, “I wondered if this is what having a good mom is like.”

She chokes on the words a little as they tumble from her mouth. Marion tsks under her breath and presses her forehead to Beau’s. Beau’s eyes immediately drift shut.

“Oh, my sweet child,” Marion’s voice wavers, “how I wish you knew that was a question you never had to wonder.” 

Beau feels her lip quiver and the heat of unshed tears pressing at her eyes. 

“You have been coming to this home for over 5 years, and I have watched you grow into one of the most accomplished and respectable women I have ever met. I know you are honest and humble, because I would not even know of your accomplishments if Jester did not boast them to me at any given time.” Both Beau and Marion give a wet, tearful laugh.

“I am so proud of you, Beauregard.”Marion pulls Beau into a full hug, “I do not know which deity I pleased to have been gifted such an exceptional daughter, but I would be delighted if you were to consider me your mother.” 

Beau feels a warmth radiate briefly from the symbol of Ioun around her neck as she cries against Marion. 

Beau’s not really sure how much time she spends laying there in Marion’s motherly embrace, letting the older woman weave her nimble fingers through her dark hair and tell amusing tales of Jester’s youth. At some point one of her assistants came in with tea, and Marion informed her to clear her schedule for the day.She is part way through recalling a time when a young Jester had gone and replaced all the sugar bowls with salt and all the salt shakers with sugar, when Beau hears familiar footfalls skipping down the hallway. Beau forces herself to pull away from the warmth and compose herself just a bit, tugging on her white vestiges to sit a little nicer. Jester doesn’t bother to knock before busting in, and grins widely.

“There you are, Beau! You said you’d be back like an hour ago.” She pouts a little, but there’s no real weight behind it. Beau freezes a little trying to come up with an excuse but Marion comes to the rescue;

“That’s my fault, dear. We got to talking about the exploits of your youth, and you know how I get when given the opportunity to talk about my darling Jester.” She weaves her arm through Beau’s and together stand as Jester approaches.

“It’s ok, mama. I like when you and Beau spend time together.” Jester replies and wraps her arms around the both of them. When she lets go, Beau unhooks herself from Marion to nervously tug at her vestiges once more.

“Uh, Jessie. I was wondering if maybe you’d want to go down to the beach for a bit? Just us.” Beau says. She can’t help but mentally pat herself on the back for not stuttering through the whole thing, too.

“Ohhh, that sounds nice, Beau. Oh! Let me go down to the kitchens and I can throw together a picnic basket! Meet me downstairs!” Jester’s out the door before Beau can argue (not that she would). She shakes her head and laughs under her breath, and turns to Marion.

Beau takes a moment to take in the woman’s appearance. She’s aged gracefully in the last 5 years, Beau thinks. There’s a few more wrinkles around her eyes than when they first met; her laugh lines just a little deeper, her hair a little grayer, and as Marion meets her gaze, she smiles warmly,  _ with love. _

“I hope you know that I will be overseeing the wedding.” She says, simultaneously light-hearted and also dead-serious.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Ma.” Beau replies. She leans down to press a quick kiss to her ruby cheek, which Marion returns happily.

“Okay, you’ve already made me cry my make-up off once today,” she says with a laugh and a sniffle, “Run along. Don’t leave our Jester waiting.” 

Beau nods happily and makes her way down the steps to the main foyer of the Lavish Chateau, where she sees the woman she loves waiting giddily with an overstuffed picnic basket. 

X-x-X

The first time Beau proposes -bent down on one knee with the ring she spent months to lovingly hand craft for the woman she loves between her fingers- is also the last, because Beau  _ knows _ in her heart that this is the woman she is going to spend the rest of her life with. 

X-x-X

The first time Jester finds herself absolutely and completely unable to form even the simplest of words is on her wedding day. They’re in the Lavish Chateau, rented out and decorated completely by her mama. Jester hasn’t seen Beau all morning, and honestly the anticipation is killing her because  _ Oh, Mamá, I bet she’s so handsome! Can’t you give me like, just a little hint?? _ , but her mama is mean and hasn’t given her even a bread crumb of a hint. 

In the stories, the bride is always anxious, nervous,  _ manic  _ even, and Jester thinks that’s just a little silly. What were they so nervous about? Were they worried their betrothed would change their minds or something? That’s dumb, Jester thinks. Jester’s certainly giddy, she admits, and who wouldn’t be if they knew they were marrying someone as kind and beautiful and incredible as Beau.

Jester winces a little as her mama adjusts her hair piece, and Jester looks at herself in the mirror. She’s wearing a dress of white, flowing silk,cinched at her waist with a dark green sash held fast with matching cordage. The fabric is pinned at one shoulder by a golden clasp, and trails downs her back into a flowing cape. From the clasp are three more thin strips of green silken rope that drape across the shoulder elegantly. Jester knows she’s beautiful on a regular day, but right now she has to say she feels especially pretty. Her mama gives her bare shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Almost time, my dear Jester. Are you ready?” Her mama asks while adjusting her own dress a bit.

“Mamá I’ve been ready since like, before she even asked. I’m pretty sure I was ready the first time she kissed me.” Jester admits in a rush. She grabs her bouquet and waits by the door. Marion laughs and presses a kiss to Jester’s temple, then locks her elbow in with Jester’s. 

There’s a swell of music below them as Blude opens the door to Marion’s chambers, and arm-in-arm they walk down the steps to the ground floor of the Lavish Chateau.

“You’ve chosen well, my child.” A familiar soft, male voice whispers quietly in her ear, and she feels the gentle hand of the Traveler upon her shoulder, guiding her forward. Jester’s smile widens, and just as quickly, the presence fades. 

And then all at once, she sees her bride, and it feels as if the breath is punched from her lungs.

Beau’s long, dark brown hair is pulled back into a tidy braid, adorned with golden ornamentations and beautiful flowers. She wore a deep blue traditional Kamordhan silk outfit that consisted of an intricately gold-patterned, navy blue, high collared coat that reached to just below the knee, as well as form-fitting black pants that cinched at the ankle. Her flats were pointed at the toe, and embroidered with an elaborate gold trim. Across her shoulder and tied at her waist was a scar of black fabric with more golden embroidery. 

It was an incredibly dashing ensemble but it’s not what makes Jester’s breath leave her body. What truly hits her, is the look of pure awe on Beau’s face from where she stands at the altar. The affection, the adoration, the almost  _ worshipping _ gaze in her eyes has Jester blushing and tearing up all at once, and  _ they haven’t even said their vows yet _ . 

As they come to the altar, Marion places a gentle kiss to each their cheeks, before moving to sit in the front row beside Zuala. As the music dies down, Fjord clears his throat, and speaks.

“Family, Friends and members of the Mighty Nein, we are gathered here in this beautifully decorated Chateau today to witness the eternal joining of two of our finest members. Finally.”

The crowd chuckles, and Fjord continues.

“You know, if someone had asked me 5 years ago if I would ever be officiating a wedding, especially for these two, I would’ve said ‘No, I reckon not’.” Fjord drops slips into his old accent for a moment, and Jester chuckles with the rest of the room, but her eyes never leave Beau’s. 

“But enough about me, we’re here for these two. Beau, Jessie, do you have your vows?”

Both women nod, and Jester hands her bouquet off to Veth to hold before clasping both of Beau’s hands in her own. Caleb and Yasha are looking over Beau’s shoulder with a wide smiles and misty eyes, and Jester is sure Calianna and Veth are in a similar state behind her. 

“You first.” Beau says with a squeeze of her hands. Jester takes a deep breath. 

“Beauregard; when we first met, we were both lost and unsure of ourselves, jettisoned into a world that could be so cold and unforgiving. I remembered thinking how bad ass you were, so carefree and laid back, and part of me was almost jealous at how easy you seemed to roll with the punches.

But then, I dug a little deeper under the surface and found a lonely girl just as scared and confused as I was. You let your walls down for me, and slowly, together, we dismantled them brick by brick, and I watched you grow into a woman of unwavering confidence and compassion. A woman that I came to love and adore. And you helped me understand that the it’s ok to be sad and angry sometimes, that burying the pain away makes it so much worse than asking for help. And you helped even if I was stubborn. 

Anyone would be incredibly lucky to be your wife, Beau, but if it was anyone but me I might have had to kill them,” Beau gives a tearful bark of laughter and Jester grins, “Beau, I vow to you my love, my shield and my strength, for it is as much yours as it is mine, until death and beyond, for not even the Raven Queen may separate us.”

Jester ends her vows with a powerful air of finality, and Beau seems to take a moment to gather herself. 

“Beautiful, Jester. Now you, Beau.” Fjord motions to his first mate. Beau clear her throat and straightens her back. 

“Jester Lavorre, you are the sun the Mighty Nein revolve around, your happiness is the rays we bask in like Frumpkin basks by an open window. When we first met, I was angry, and the wounds in my heart were raw. I thought they would never heal. But you showed me that if I stopped picking at the wound, if I stopped giving in to the hatred I was taught to feel for myself, that the wound would heal.

The wound’s a little scarred now, but it’s no longer raw, and I’ve never been so happy in my life. There was a night, years and years ago, the first time we said ‘I love you’ on the Ball Eater,” Fjord groans as the crowd chuckles, “and that night holds such an importance to me. It was the first time I had been told “I love you”. How I’m so fucking lucky to get someone as kind and wise and beautiful as you, I will never understand. “

Beau sniffles and blinks back more tears. 

When I was trying to come up with vows, I realized how many of my “firsts” have been with you. My first victory, my first friend, my first true love...my first death, my first resurrection, even my first loving mother,” Beau glances and smiles at Marion, “has been because of you.”

“Jester Lavorre, I vow to love you, and your creativity and faith, with all that I am. I vow to you my bone, blood, and soul, for when a time comes my bone and blood no longer support me, my soul will be eternally yours, and may not even the Raven Queen divide us.” 

Jester’s hands are shaking where Beau holds them tightly, and she knows she’s crying but fuck you; it’s her wedding and she’ll cry if she wants to. 

Beau is crying, too, now. And Jester’s a little jealous because  _ how does she cry so gracefully.  _

Fjord takes a grounding breath and motions for Luc to step forward from Veth’s side. Jester reaches down and tousles his hair a bit and he whines. 

“Aunt Jessie, I worked so hard on that…”

“You looked too stuffy, like Uncle Caleb. This is cuter, trust me.”

Luc huffs and holds up Jester’s ring for Beau. From behind Beau steps out as a young Beau jr., taken in by his sister after his parents were deemed...unfit. He too, holds up Beau’s ring for Jester.

“Well, with that, we have the rings before us,” Jester takes the ring she intends to give to Beau, and Beau the one for Jester. 

“If you could kindly repeat after me: I present to you this ring as a symbol of our eternal bond.”

“Jester Lavorre, I present to you this symbol of our eternal bond.” Beau slipped the silver band onto Jester’s ring finger. Jester took Beau’s left hand in her own.

“Beauregard Lavorre,” Jester grinned, “I present to you this symbol of our eternal bond.” 

She slides the ring onto Beau’s fingers.

“With that, by the power vested in me as Captain Tusktooth of the Ball Eater, I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may kiss-”

Fjord doesn’t get a chance to finish as suddenly Jester arms around Beau’s waist and pull her into a dip.

Their first kiss as wives is passionate and silly and honestly, no one would expect it any other way. 

X-x-X

Their first home,  _ theirs _ being just them, is a comfortably sized beach house on the more uninhabited shores of Nicodranas. It takes them a year to build with their bare hands, but the satisfaction of building their hearth, their sanctuary piece by piece makes everything worth it. 

The main house is of a good size for two people and a six year old. Two bedrooms, one for Beau and Jester, one for Junior. There’s the essentials of course, privy, kitchen and living room. Beau had, as a surprise, made a “mystery room” which she reveals later to be a Painting Studio. 

There’s several guest houses around the main house for when their friends and family come to visit, which is more often than either expects. It’s certainly not a complaint.

The porch is painted blue against the white exterior of house, and faces the ocean. There’s a hammock bolted bolted between two of the posts.

Currently, in that hammock, Beau is snoring softly with Junior on her chest and her head tucked into Jester’s shoulder. Junior is listening with rapt attention as Jester reads to him from one of the many children’s books she moved from the Lavish Chateau. The early spring breeze sways the hammock to and fro, and Jester watches in amusement as Junior’s eyelids started to droop. She keeps reading until Junior’s eyes close completely, and he snores softly just like his big sister. Jester puts the book away, and presses a soft kiss to the top of his head, then to Beau’s.

The Mighty Nein have gone their separate ways, long gone are their days of espionage and heroism. Jester had been so afraid, before, that she’d feel that loneliness she hates so much. 

As she settles in closer to the warmth of her wife and child, she thinks old her was incredibly silly. 

She couldn’t have been more wrong. 

**Author's Note:**

> I rolled to a resurrection ritual for both Zuala and Molly. Molly's ended up being a Nat 1. Zuala's was a fuckin Nat 20.


End file.
